# What series succeeded with an unpromising premise? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 20, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146 "2009-03-20T12:46:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/1 "2009-03-20T12:46:01Z")
Let’s reverse [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=510628) thread and talk about series that worked desite a lackluster premise. One of the most obvious is Big Bang Theory. “Nerd & Geek meet Pretty Girl? Show Biz Cliche” is how the reviewers labelled it. But the true-to-life situations and the acting chops of the characters (particularly Johnny Galecki & Jim Parsons as leads Sheldon & Leonard) turned it into a delight. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/2 "2009-03-20T12:50:57Z")
Hogans Heroes. I doubt anyone thought a comedy about a WW II German prison camp was going to be good. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/3 "2009-03-20T13:11:12Z")
Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The title sums up what it’s about on the surface, and I didn’t watch it for years because it sounded incredibly stupid but the subtext is much deeper, with many of the situations and monsters acting as metaphors for growing up. Plus, I just love Joss’ dialogue and sense of humor. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/4 "2009-03-20T13:27:17Z")
A few more that were not thought to be promising at the time: Happy Days–Who knew 1950’s nostalga would make a hit? Mork & Mindy–Spacemen comes to earth. Been done. And Robin Williams! Who is he? The winner has to be The Simpsons, both in unpromising idea and amount of success. A prime time cartoon hadn’t succeeded since The Flinstones. It was pitched to all the networks, and only Fox picked it up and only as shorts in the Tracy Ullman show. And the rest is a large piece of TV history. ---
**Author:** ![Lumpy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lumpy/32/446_2.png) [@Lumpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lumpy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/5 "2009-03-20T13:29:32Z")
Arguably, _ **The Prisoner** _ was a subversion of the spy genre that was popular in the 60s. Every week, the smart, brave and tough spy failed to escape from the penal colony he was held in. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/6 "2009-03-20T13:39:10Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The title sums up what it’s about on the surface, and I didn’t watch it for years because it sounded incredibly stupid but the subtext is much deeper, with many of the situations and monsters acting as metaphors for growing up. > > Plus, I just love Joss’ dialogue and sense of humor. All of Whedon’s shows, for that matter. “A cheerleader who fights vampires!” A Detective who is a Vampire!" "Cowboys in Space!"One of the many things I admire about Whedon is his ability to turn an incredibly stupid sounding premise into art. ---
**Author:** ![badbadrubberpiggy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/57b2e6/32.png) [@badbadrubberpiggy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/badbadrubberpiggy)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/7 "2009-03-20T13:41:14Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The title sums up what it’s about on the surface, and I didn’t watch it for years because it sounded incredibly stupid but the subtext is much deeper, with many of the situations and monsters acting as metaphors for growing up. > > Plus, I just love Joss’ dialogue and sense of humor. And add in the fact that a lot of people thought it would be just like the movie, even though it wasn’t at all. I enjoyed the movie, but as it was, it would not have made for good TV. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/8 "2009-03-20T13:48:55Z")
The Sopranos was turned down by every network, and even HBO shelved it for a year before taking a chance. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/9 "2009-03-20T13:49:16Z")
**Twin Peaks** - beautiful teenage girl is found on shore, washed up from the river, brutally murdered, wrapped in plastic, in a backwoods town in Washington state. Must’ve had execs going “😕:eek:😕” ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/10 "2009-03-20T14:01:28Z")
**Sledge Hammers**. Looked like a stupid cop comedy; turned out to be a fairly subversive satire of just about anything it could think of. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/11 "2009-03-20T14:02:43Z")
I read somewhere that the Sopranos was designed for FOX, but maybe the other networks passed on it as well after FOX said no. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/12 "2009-03-20T14:06:36Z")
Seinfeld. A show about nothing. A summer replacement show about nothing. A summer replacement show about nothing that went nowhere at first. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/13 "2009-03-20T14:16:02Z")
_Saturday Night Live_. Variety shows were not were not popular at the time. NBC stuck it in the 11:30 to 1:00 slot, where they had been showing old Carson reruns. The show had nobody famous in it, yet it has spawned more famous actors than any show ever. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/14 "2009-03-20T14:27:26Z")
**Cheers**. I remember seeing the first promos for it and thinking, “A sitcom set in a bar? Yeah, like anyone’s going to want to watch _that_,” and thus immediately disqualifying myself from ever running a network. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/15 "2009-03-20T14:32:04Z")
**Scrubs** - oh, great, it’s another stupid hospital show. Oh, they’re _interns_. Fascinating. I needed a lot of persuasion before I’d try it. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/16 "2009-03-20T14:33:38Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Seinfeld. A show about nothing. A summer replacement show about nothing. A summer replacement show about nothing that went nowhere at first. I disagree about this. It’s self-described as ‘a show about nothing’ but it was a show about a standup comedian in New York City. _And_ that comedian was Jerry Seinfeld. _Family Ties_ certainly seemed to have nothing special when it premiered. Good thing Michael J. Fox was such a good performer and made such a real character out of a caricature. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/17 "2009-03-20T14:34:45Z")
Jim Henson had to go to England to get the Mupper Show done. And I remember watching Avenue Q in a tiny off-Broadway theatre with about 20 other people, most of whom were the cast and crew’s friends and family. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/18 "2009-03-20T15:11:54Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Let’s reverse [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=510628) thread and talk about series that worked desite a lackluster premise. > > One of the most obvious is Big Bang Theory. “Nerd & Geek meet Pretty Girl? Show Biz Cliche” is how the reviewers labelled it. But the true-to-life situations and the acting chops of the characters (particularly Johnny Galecki & Jim Parsons as leads Sheldon & Leonard) turned it into a delight. I came online to start this thread, **Annie**. Stop reading my mind, or there will be consequences. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/19 "2009-03-20T15:50:24Z")
**Absolutely Fabulous** - When Jennifer Saunders first pitched this series, she was bluntly told that “Two middle-aged women stumbling around drunk all the time isn’t funny.” ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146/20 "2009-03-20T15:55:23Z")
Quantum Leap: “It’s a show about a really smart scientist who goes back in time, inhabits other peoples bodies, and changes small things to make people better. But not like stopping Hitler or anything, just saving some random dude’s wife from ODing” “How does he know what to do?” “He has a friend who is a hologram and who has a portable computer from the future that knows EVERYTHING” “…Kay” Let the record show I LOVE QL and I think the shows supurb writing made up for a lot of weakness that the show could have. I just think it sounds too farfetched as a premise. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-series-succeeded-with-an-unpromising-premise/490146.md?page=2)